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Sure, these days have almost every game sporting the newfangled 3D, but way back when, everyone had to live with plain old 2D. 2D, or two dimensions, limit the game to scrolling backgrounds, but some games even now make use of this basic concept.
8-bit can be a reference to actual computing power, or it can be a retro look for videogames that want to recall a bygone era.
Achievements are extra challenges added into video games that sometimes carry a point value or unlock bonus material, and are sometimes solely for bragging rights.
Anthropomorphism is the concept of an object, concept or character that has human qualities or traits, such as speech, a level of intelligence similar or higher than a human's and self consciousness. "Anthro" means "of human" and related to the concept of humanity.
Artificial Intelligence, or AI, commonly refers to the programmed behaviors of NPCs in a game, whether it's the fact that a soldier takes cover behind a wall in Gears of War, or that townspeople cheer upon your arrival to their village in Fable.
A mode in which a game will play a gameplay demonstration video as a means to entice players into playing the game.
Real world information improved in some way by the inclusion of computer generated data. Typically done using a virtual overlay on a real image.
Games that integrate support for Xbox Live Avatars.
Backwards Compatibility is a feature in console gaming that allows a console to play the games and use the hardware of its previous iterations. Some games are also designed from the ground up to be played in more than one console.
Games that support the Wii Balance Board.
A proprietary video codec (.bik/bk2 extension) developed by RAD Game Tools and used in a very large number of video games.
A concept found in many puzzle and casual games. Matching blocks of the same color or type to gain points and/or erase the blocks.
The concept of moving blocks around to certain areas such as highlighted squares, or switches, or in order to get past a maze.
Boo is a ghost-enemy in the Mario universe who pursue Mario until he looks in their direction. They earned their reputation for being "shy" this way. Don't turn your back on them!
A boss fight is a culminating challenge that pits the player against one or more enemies representing a greater threat and/or difficulty than those previously faced. These scenarios typically feature unique antagonists.
Often used as a catch-all term for any game's main story-driven mode of play, campaign mode usually refers to a linear sequence of levels with a continuous story and a definite conclusion, playable single-player and sometimes co-operatively.
A concept in games with multiple characters, a screen with pictures of all playable characters with the possibility of stat listings.
Special codes or button combinations used to gain powers or advantages in a game. Generally hidden.
Chiptunes are musical compositions that are synthesized by a computer or console sound chip.
While modern chemistry defines 118 atomic elements, video games more often deal with classical elements as described in ancient philosophy, mainly fire, water, earth, and air. In many games, each element is stronger against certain elements, but weaker against others.
Games that became insanely popular also spawned a number of lesser, equally and even more popular games.
Typically found in fighting games, combos are a series of strung-together moves.
A crossover occurs when a character from one franchise makes a special appearance in a game from an unrelated franchise. Some games are specifically designed to be crossovers that bring together characters from two or more franchises.
Sometimes designers add old-school things on purpose to enhance game design. These games tend to be heavily inspired by hardware limitations of older systems. NES, Atari 2600, and early computer platforms (DOS, Commodore 64, MSX, etc...) are common sources of inspiration.
Games that were made entirely by one person.
Sometimes you want a challenge, sometimes you wanna coast.
The concept of purchasing media and having it delivered over the internet. No physical representation of this content is given, and although the content resides on the user's hard drive they are typically granted a license to the product, rather than ownership of it.
The controversial practice of incorporating "access control technology" into digital media so as to limit what owners of that media can do with it, most commonly for the stated purpose of preventing piracy.
A feature in Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, and Nintendo 3DS games allowing linked multiplayer with only one cartridge.
Downloadable Content adds new features and content to already-distributed video games via the Internet. Examples include new maps for FPS games, new songs for rhythm games, and new cars for racing games.
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